removing atty bridge ?

[misantroll]

Ok so I've been exclusively dripping for a month now and think I will never look back on carts/cartos. Been ordering drip tips also.
But yesterday I found a video of a guy removing the wick of an atty explaining it will decrease the burn taste on the atty this I can understand. And then I also see you can remove the metal bridge ? Tell me about it (I searched for an hour but couldn't find threads about it...). Is it simple ? What is the purpose and benefits ?
Thanks in advance !

 

[Xanax]

Honestly, this is just my 2c so take it with a grain of salt.
Removing the bridge and wick will make the atty perform rather poorly. Your atomizer will flood very easily and there will be no in-between when it runs dry. You will get the nastiest burnt taste you've ever experienced when it runs dry. It's either FLOODED or DRY. This will decrease the life span greatly also. I would advise greatly against it

About fully intact attys:
You are not tasting the "wick" being melted or burnt when you get that nasty taste while vaping. The wick is made of material that will not burn or melt for safety purposes. When you get that taste even when your atomizer is wet it's because you most likely have some caked up old liquid on your wick and coil and the best way to get rid of that is to either do a dry burn or a rinse, or both. Never remove the wick or bridge if you want a good healthy strong atty. Just my opinion (and a few facts)

 

[RedAlert]

^ I completely agree. Tried it for a day and tossed it. Leaked to easily.

 

[prr2freya]

I removed the wick and bridge from 2 of my atties and it was a very bad idea. I prefer dripping with both intact.

 

[misantroll]

ok so I see it's not really popular around here

 

[Israfil]

I wouldn't say that. At some point in their life I tend to remove the bridges of my attys. It's usually after the standard techniques for cleaning (boil/dryburn) stop being effective. I'm still looking into better ways to clean these little monsters.

While it is a better idea to try to clean the atomizer first, and even if that won't work buying a fresh one is always a good thing, (keep the old one just in case someone finds a new way that works even better ) I'll tell ya how. Use at your own (atty's) risk.

Basically all you need is a pair of tweezers. Rock the bridge from side to side while pulling lightly. Eventually the wire mesh will break loose and you can pull the bridge, mesh, and wick free. The resulting atomizer will have a more loose draw and heat up faster most of the time, but as previous posters said will flood or dry out faster too.

 

[Dacoopah]

I have been removing the bridge/wick from my 510's for the last 6 months - no issues w/shortened lifespan, flooding or bad taste. I started removing both precisely because of the bad taste I would get after using an intact 510 for a few days; remove both, and the taste goes away.

So, since it is apparent that your mileage may vary, give it a try yourself and come to your own conclusion.

 

[anth]

Yeah, I would agree with Dacoopah and Israfil.
I've removed the nylon and bridge on my last two atties and they perform better.
It was a little hard at first ripping the guts out but it's an easy operation with tweezers and I didn't notice any more leakage.
The two best tips (IMO) for those that drip:
1. highping's atty cleaning method, and
2. remove the bridge as shown by phee.
Drip tips definitely help too.

 

[Lightgeoduck]

I would like to add: IMO this technique isn't for the novice user... like some have said use this as a LAST resort. If you have tons of atties to tinker with ..then fire away... otherwise use almost worn out atties.

Yes if this technique is done properly you will have an enjoyable experience, but you will be frustrated if you have a limited amount of hardware and you start ripping away... because remember once this technique is performed, you have sealed the fate for that atty and THERE IS NO GOING BACK..


LGD

 

[misantroll]

I will give it a go. I have a seven atties and 3 coming soon in the mailbox. I'll try with the one I already removed the wick from.
So basically with tweezers I can grab it and slowly take it out ?
I'll report back then !

Thanks again !

 

[Israfil]

Pretty much, all the bridge is is a little bent piece of metal that is held in by the mesh. once the mesh rips or gets moved to the side it pretty much slides right out.

 

[Dacoopah]

So basically with tweezers I can grab it and slowly take it out ?
I'll report back then !

Thanks again !

Yes, carefully move the bridge back and forth while lifting. I have found that if you do not loosen the bridge first, you risk pulling the entire ceramic cup assembly out with the bridge.

 

[anth]

YouTube - Removing The Bridge

Hope link worked, if not type "removing the bridge" in youtube for phee's video. It's good.

Atty can't be used with carts after the operation

 

[PaulB]

The first atty I did this with is also the only atty I've had in 6+ months that definitely died (last week). BUT it did so after about ten weeks as my 90% of the time atty, so I don't attribute its demise to my having taken out the bridge. To give you an idea of how well this works for me, first thing I did after I realized it was popped was grab a fresh one and remove its bridge. Flooding? I'd say no more than with the bridge intact, as long as you're not overdoing your drip-load (three drops--NOT four) and doing what's necessary to maintain it--periodic blow-outs and dry burns. I also like being able to see directly what's going on with the coil while dry burning.

 

[anth]

I also like being able to see directly what's going on with the coil while dry burning.

Yes!!

 

[prr2freya]

Mine do work great but you have to drip more often. I mostly use my two stripped atties for taste testing and such. I have a lot of experience with my hardware and just prefer to leave the thing intact until no matter what cleaning method I use, the atty seems toast. Once I strip it, it works like new again but you have to drip more often. My stripped down atties have not died yet and probably won't for quite some time, but I agree it is a last resort thing to extend the life of the atty.

 

[misantroll]

SO I've done it ! And I love it ! The taste seems to be deeper and I didnt notice any more lickage that with the bridge on. And as said a little warmer vapor is good to me. And it was really easy to do too. Thanks a lot !

 

[misantroll]

I removed two attys bridges and I will use only these two in rotation and report here how it is going, lifespawn and such.

 

[Daedalus]

Yeah looks like I'm late to the party here but removing the bridge and wick is the way to go! Been using mine for almost two weeks now and I'm not looking back.

Definitely an advanced technique, you need to be able to taste the very slight flavor variation that indicates it's time to drop or otherwise you do get a bad taste. I'm able to "feel" the difference in vapor if that makes sense, whether it's juiced up, needing refilling, or completely empty. If I do get absentminded and pick it up again after a "refill puff" I can pretty much instantly taste that it's empty and not actually take a whole drag of nastiness.

I'm also a single dropper, sometimes 2 if I'm driving. I've found that gives me optimal vapor production because the atty is never too wet. Three drops does flood unless it's absolutely depleted. Just don't overdrip and you'll be fine.